O2 floods London with free Wi-Fi

Undaunted by its recent network outage fall from grace, O2 is now offering Londoners free Wi-Fi access in several of capital's busiest areas including Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus and Regent Street.

The network's efforts – as part of a deal with Westminster Council – have resulted in the launch of various free "reliable" hotspots across central London.

Other areas to benefit include Oxford Street, Trafalgar Square, Parliament Square and Covent Garden.

Saying that, the network appeared on my Razr Maxx last night while sat in a beer garden in Camden, so the signal either stretches fairly far, or somebody was testing additional areas.

Signal for the bus
Source: Garryknight, Flickr

The network's hotspots follows Virgin Media's free Wi-Fi on London's Underground and Overground train services, helping keep Londoners stay connected during the Olympic Games. Expect many tweets about being stuck in traffic.

Unlike Virgin's service, though, the free O2 hotspots will remain in place after the Games finish and will be financially supported by advertising.

This may see amenities post ads to punters in the local area to promote discounted restaurant offers or last minute theatre deals, which might be just the ticket or annoying overkill. Time will tell. ®